The Electronic Entertainment Expo – or E3 as it is more commonly referred to – once again took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center this June, and industry insiders and gaming fans alike were eagerly awaiting the conferences from the big players as well as those all-important release announcements.

One of the big developments in the past few years of E3 has been the rise in popularity and visibility of all things virtual reality (VR). The 2017 edition of E3 would be no different, with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all showcasing VR products to a gaming world only too happy to invest in this new dawn. There is no doubt that the industry sees VR as a major component of gaming, and many believe that it is the future of how games will be presented to the public.

However, this relationship can be looked at in the other direction as well, with E3 doing a lot for everyone involved in VR software and hardware. With a convention as big as E3 giving over so much room for this relatively new area of gaming, more weight will be given to the idea that this is the way that the industry is heading.

The companies that are involved in this strand of entertainment are always striving to perfect the user experience, and whereas technological leaps in graphics and usability have always been well received, the advance that VR has already made cannot be ignored.

With big gaming announcements such as the release of Fallout 4 always eagerly anticipated by attendees of E3, many of the big names in the industry know that they need to have something to showcase themselves so as not to look as if they are falling behind in the race for VR supremacy.

The two main areas in which VR can really make an impact are the military and gaming industries, and this has prompted the rise in the number of games available in this format. In relation to the gaming side of things, the big betting companies have taken a lot of interest in how well VR has taken off and are now looking to get involved.

Although online gambling has only got more and more popular in recent years, there has been a distinct attempt to attract more millennials who expect more from their experience than a simple game. This has been shown in the number of games using elements such as bonus rounds and side games as this is how this younger generation are used to playing online.

Being able to introduce top live casinos in VR is seen to be the next step for many betting companies who are aiming to offer a completely immersive experience for their customer account holders. Although this area is still in its early days, the idea that users could walk into a casino and interact with live dealers and other players is something that betting companies are eager to develop.

With this kind of technology, it is not inconceivable for users to play in real-life casinos and get the full experience of some of the finest establishments in the world from the luxury of their own home. Being able to switch from a regular casino game to something completely different is attractive to the developers and also to the younger market of users.

This year’s E3 event showed how far the industry has already come in relation to the advanced use of VR. It has already proven a winning element in gaming, and the betting world is keen to emulate that success.______